(a) Field of the Invention
This application relates to a puzzle formed from preferably planar sections that are movable relative to one another to allow re-arrangement of the pieces into different patterns.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,158 I disclose several arrangements that can be used as a puzzle by allowing a person to re-arrange the components of these arrangements in order to work towards a pattern formed from the components. A highly preferred example of my invention shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,158 is constructed by using a pair of dissimilar basic pieces that are rotated about a circular section. This example has enjoyed limited commercial success, primarily due to the fact that it is difficult to move the pieces relative to one another.
One of the most significant problems associated with the invention disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,158 is that it was rather difficult to rotate the individual components. The dissimilar basic pieces were joined to one another through mating rabbeted portions that are designed to slide along the edges of one another. However, the sliding sections were difficult to move relative to one another.
Other known devices include U.S. Pat. No. 4,468,033 to Minami et al. (Minami.) The Minami device includes geared disks with recessed areas that accept an object that is to be moved from one geared disk to another. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,477,441 to Cole shows the use of non-circular gears that are mounted on guide studs about which the gears rotate. These devices use the geared shapes to induce rotation about fixed axes.